Carlos Harris X LinkedIn #InItTogether

What drives me to keep striving for more?

It’s very simple, I’m in it my future family and generations to come to push me to greater heights.

When I started blogging, it was nothing more than a hobby I did with my friends in between going out every weekend, roaming the downtown streets of Dallas and just having fun. After dropping out of college, I realized about five months into my valet job at Lexus that a traditional 9-5 just was not for me. I felt pulled to do more than follow in the footsteps society had laid out for me.

I took my first trip to NYC about one week after leaving my job at Lexus, and it is, by far, one of the best decisions I have ever made. That trip helped me see the world on an expansive level, and what was possible with the online presence I built over the years. I left New York City with not only more confidence, but also my first long-term deal with a company called Greats Brand.

My mission upon returning to Texas was to be the best blogger I could be. Getting up at 5:30 am every day to run 2.7 miles and emailing sixty plus brand every day were a couple of routines that established my foundation. My goal with each feature was to bring dynamic content people had not seen before. I started diving into video content, creative directing all my shoots, and delivering fresh content each week. Over time, my following grew along with my network in other cities. I began cross-promoting with other creatives to elevate our brands all over the world. As blogging started to take off, I was presented an opportunity to run a vodka company’s social media page and help them grow as a brand through content creation, influencer marketing, events, and other promotions.

By this point, I felt compelled to look beyond growing my company and believed I should use my strengths to help other businesses thrive. I ended up co-founding a marketing company with a partner and learned several valuable lessons about communicating expectations, distributing work equitably. I ended up transitioning to establishing my own company, Harris Marketing & Media Group. One of the core tenets of the company is to create opportunities for others creatives to get paid doing what they love. From the outset, we diligently worked to build a clientele of creatives across the city through building relationships and working to partner with an array of talents. Throughout this entire process my dad, Carlos Harris Sr., gave me full support in what I set out to achieve. The driving factor in my pursuit of professional fulfillment is my grandmother. She passed away a few months before I started pursuing my passion, and she left me around $3200. That gift helped me stay afloat and continue to chase my dream--I am forever thankful.

My end goal is to inspire people to chase their goals and understand we are all blessed with talents. I am a firm believer that you should explore your purpose and live in it. It is easy to fear change--take that leap and go for it. The world needs your gift(s).

I wake up each day and feel amazingly invigorated. This work is hard and demands a lot, but I love what I do and seeing the benefits of my labor. I gave up working 40 hours a week for someone else to put in 80 hours a week for myself. There is no greater feeling (for me) than being your own boss.